Case Study: Supplying Bella Lodi Buffalo-Milk Cheese to a US Distributor

At a glance

• Product: Bella Lodi Riserva Bianca (buffalo-milk, black-rind, naturally lactose-free)
• Producer: Bella Lodi, Lombardy, Italy
• Buyer: A leading Italian specialty distributor in the US Northeast
• First order: one pallet of whole wheels, about 760 kg
• ALL FOOD role: sourcing, quality check, product and origin documentation, and delivery to the buyer's forwarder in Italy

A leading Italian specialty distributor in the US Northeast approached ALL FOOD looking for a specific Italian cheese their customers had been asking about: a black-rind, buffalo-milk wheel with clean nutritional credentials (naturally lactose-free), positioned for gourmet retail and food-service.

ALL FOOD sources and exports; we do not manufacture. Working from Tuscany, we connected the distributor with Bella Lodi (the Lombardy producer of Riserva Bianca), coordinated the order, quality-checked the wheels and prepared the paperwork the distributor's US customs broker needed before the pallet left Italy.

The challenge

The distributor was looking for a product that would stand out on the shelf and answer three specific customer questions at once:

• Authentic Italian dairy with a strong story (producer, region, method).
• Buffalo-milk and naturally lactose-free, to serve customers asking for allergen-friendly cheese.
• Full US-ready documentation from day one, so the first pallet could clear with no surprises.

Sourcing this SKU directly from Italy, with the right paperwork and a producer willing to run a first pilot volume, was the piece the distributor needed help with.

What ALL FOOD did

1. Product match. We identified Bella Lodi Riserva Bianca as the right fit: a black-rind, buffalo-milk cheese, naturally lactose-free, produced in Lombardy.
2. Sourcing. We located and secured the Riserva Bianca wheels the distributor wanted through our sourcing network in Italy.
3. Quality control. Wheels were checked against the agreed specification before dispatch.
4. Documentation. We prepared the product specifications and origin paperwork for the shipment.
5. Handover for export. We consolidated the pallet and delivered it to the buyer's forwarder in Italy for export to the US.

The product

Bella Lodi Riserva Bianca is a black-rind cheese from Lombardy, made with buffalo milk (naturally lactose-free), aged to develop the characteristic bite and long finish that put it on gourmet-cheese menus. The black rind is a visual signature that reads well on shelf and on menus. Alongside the whole wheel, Bella Lodi also produces the same recipe in the Raspadura shaved format, useful for food-service and gift packs.

The result

The first pallet was delivered on schedule and the wheels arrived exactly as specified (pictured above, on receipt). We also included the raspadura knife kit used to shave the cheese at the counter, a finishing touch the distributor was especially pleased with. What started as a single trial pallet is now developing into an ongoing program.

"Everything arrived on time and exactly as we expected, and we even got the raspadura knife kit to serve it. Very happy with how it was handled."

Sourcing a specific Italian product for your market?

If there is a specific Italian food you want to bring in (a cheese, an olive oil, a preserve, a pasta), we can find the right producer and handle the Italy side end-to-end. That includes sourcing for US importers and distributors, and full private label programs when you want the product under your own brand.

Frequently asked questions